Whisenhunt: No one in this draft stands out like Sam Bradford

Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on March 31, 2011, 8:53 AM EDT

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Very little seems predictable about the top ten of the upcoming draft. Practically the only the thing the national media agrees on is that the Cardinals are likely to take Blaine Gabbert if he’s available at No. 5.

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt, for what’s worth, made comments Wednesday that run contrary to that notion.

“There is nobody [at quarterback] that really stands out like Sam Bradford did last year,” Whisenhunt told Mike Jurecki on WTAR via Mike Sando of ESPN.com.

“There are a lot of guys that are intriguing athletically like Blaine Gabbert, like Cam Newton, because of the skill set, some of the things they can do. But I don’t think they have shown the ability to do some of the things that you have seen in the past by some of these guys like a Matt Ryan or, obviously, like a Sam Bradford.”

Sando thinks Whisenhunt isn’t blowing smoke; he’s just being honest. Most NFL people agree: Gabbert and Newton are shakier top-five picks than some quarterbacks over the last few years.

While the national guys all think the Cardinals will take Gabbert (if he’s available), it’s worth noting Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic is going in a different direction.

Just because they’re not ready to start now doesn’t mean they’re not good prospects. If they had any guts they’d draft one of these guys then sign a stop-gap at QB for the next couple years, someone like Bulger. Develop the QB you picked and you’ll be set for a decade or more.

Bradford is extremely overrated. He threw all his passes sideways last season and still ended up with a poorer passer rating than Tebow. He was nowhere near Josh Freeman in terms of production, and Freeman is bigger, faster, stronger, and younger than Bradford. So is Matt Stafford.

It’s time fix the defense and this draft will be the second installment of talent in finishing this issue the Cardinals have had for a while now. The Whiz is trying to build the team through the draft so I don’t see him trading any picks, not for Orton, Kolb, or anybody else! He is going to go after Bulger and see if any of the other QB’s can develop or have any potential to become their future man under center.